Radio broadcasting is an important source of news, information and entertainment for most people around the world. As a result, advertisers are willing to pay substantial sums of money to promote products and services on the radio. This source of revenue allows radio stations to provide programming which will draw the listeners desired by advertisers.
A particular radio station, depending on its format, may broadcast a specific type or types of music, talk shows, news, locally relevant information or a combination of any or all of these. Listeners will identify those stations that provide the type of programming desired and access those stations.
Radio receivers used by listeners to hear radio broadcasts are of at least three general types: stationary units, automobile units and portable personal units. A stationary radio receiver may be incorporated into a home stereo system or may be a stand-alone unit plugged into an electrical wall outlet. Radio receivers are also found in almost all automobile sound systems. Finally, radio receivers may be portable battery-powered units that can be carried with or worn by the listener.
In addition to promoting the products of paid advertisers, radio broadcasts of music also promote the sale of musical works. Radio broadcasting is a principal showcase for debuting newly released musical works. Listeners are frequently first alerted to newly-released works of their favorite artists by hearing those works played on the radio. Additionally, listeners often come to appreciate the work of a new or established artist by hearing that work over the radio.
After becoming acquainted with a musical work in this manner, a listener typically goes to a music store to buy a recording of the music. This requires that the user be informed of the title and artist by the radio broadcast. If the announcer does not state the artist or title of a musical work being broadcast, or if the listener misses that part of the broadcast, the listener may have difficulty identifying a recording of the work at a music store. Additionally, a listener may have an interest in obtaining more information about a musical work or artist than is generally provided by a radio announcer.
Consequently, there is a need in the art for a method and system for providing listeners with appropriate information about musical and other audio programming in a radio broadcast. Moreover, there is an additional need in the art for providing listeners with a ready and easy means of storing such information until it is wanted, for example, to identify a recording to be purchased.
Additionally, a listener may have some interest in a particular musical work heard on the radio, but may not yet have made a decision to purchase a recording of the work. Typically, in such circumstances, the listener must wait until the radio station has, in the regular course of its formatting, played the work enough times for the listener to decide whether he or she wishes to purchase a recording of the work.
Consequently, there is a need in art for a method and system which allows a radio listener to achieve greater familiarity with an identified work without having to wait for the radio station to replay the work. There is also a need for a method and system which more easily allows a user to purchase a recording of an identified musical work which has been heard in a radio broadcast.